Missing father fell through ice on sledging trip as 'distraught' family watched

A MISSING father-of-two who fell through ice during a family sledging trip
clung to an ice sheet after the accident but was unable to pull himself out
of the freezing water, it has emerged.

Searches on Monday and Tuesday by firefighters and police divers failed to find the missing manPhoto: PA

6:59PM BST 02 Apr 2013

A police source said he was seen “alive and breathing” after he fell into Dow Loch near the village of Cleish in Perthshire on Easter Monday, but his distraught wife and children were unable to help him.

He added: “He came back up and was hanging on to the ice sheet but he couldn't pull himself out. Sadly he couldn't hang on long enough and succumbed to the cold before the emergency services were on the scene. He had been sledging with his family and was on the ice at that time. His wife and daughters are very upset at having witnessed that."

Searches on Monday and Tuesday by firefighters and police divers failed to find the missing man. Sgt Ian Shepherd, of Police Scotland, said the operation, which has also involved rescue helicopters, had now become a recovery process.

He added: “When the call came in we were treating it as a rescue but after a number of hours it moved to a recovery operation. The family have been advised of this and an officer is liaising with them.”

The man is understood to be from the nearby Kinross area but his identity has not yet been released. Locals said the countryside around the loch was popular with families and a number of people had been sledging in the snow-covered hills recently. Cllr Joe Giacopazzi said he was shocked and saddened by the accident, which would be investigated.